Russia's entire team is banned from Rio Paralympics

Aug 8, 2016

The entire Russian team has been banned from competing in the Paralympic Games in September as punishment for the country's systematic doping program.

The International Paralympic Committee's blanket ban on Russia is in sharp contrast to the earlier decision by the IOC to allow individual sports to decide whether Russians can compete in the Olympics.

The IPC has strongly condemned Russia's years of doping deception, including the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, that were exposed by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren last month.

McLaren reported that Russia's state-backed doping led to samples from Paralympic athletes being made to disappear.

Russia finished second in the medal standings at the 2012 London Paralympics and had 267 athlete slots for Rio in 18 sports.

Rio 2016 : Olympic security chief attacked after opening ceremony before knife-wielding robber shot dead by police

7 Aug 2016

Portugal's minister of education was robbed as he headed back to his hotel in the South American city as it emerged the Olympic security chief had also been attacked after the opening ceremony

The Rio 2016 Olympic games have been rocked by more trouble after it emerged the Olympic security chief had been attacked after he left the opening ceremony.

The Olympics security chief was attacked as he left the Games opening ceremony by a knife-wielding robber who was shot dead by a cop.

Felipe Seixas was walking to his car near the Maracanã Stadium early on Saturday when he was set upon by four men brandishing knives.

A policeman with him shot one of the assailants dead and the others fled.

Authorities have attempted to hush up details of the shooting, which is a monumental embarrassment to crime-plagued Rio 2016 bosses.

The security chief himself became a mugging target after committing 10,000 security forces to protect the extravaganza.

Robbers pounced after spectators had left the glittering showpiece event starring supermodel Gisele Bündchen and runner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, who lit the Olympic flame.

The president’s chief of staff Eliseu Padilha had promised the curtain raising spectacular had security unprecedented in the history of Brazil.

And Rio mayor Eduardo Paes boasted the city would be the “safest place in the world” during the Games with 88,000 security personnel in total protecting 500,000 fans expected over 17 days.

Seixas is a senior official in Brazil’s federal police, which performs a similar role to the FBI. He was seconded to a federal body formed to protect the Olympics.

Meanwhile Portugal's Minister of Education was robbed at knifepoint as he headed back to his hotel from the Olympic cycling road race.

Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, 39, was stopped by a man brandishing a blade near his hotel in Ipanema on Saturday afternoon.

He and aide Rita Roque were forced to hand over cash and mobiles

The mugger fled after taking their valuables but was intercepted by locals who held him until police arrived and reunited the visiting politician and his advisor with their belongings.

So far the games have been dogged by security fears and petty crime.

A suspect package was spotted outside a games venue as the opening ceremony took place.

Police and army bomb disposal experts raced to Copacabana after terrified members of the public reported seeing what could be an explosive device in the road.